Benchtop instruments which vibrate and spin can sometimes work themselves loose from table top mountings and crash upon users or upon delicate laboratory equipment. Of particular concern are centrifuges which store large amounts of rotational energy in ordinary operation. If a centrifuge spindle or rotor fails, a centrifuge rotor must dissipate large amounts of energy to a storage container which, in turn, transfers energy through its mountings to a table top. Standards have been developed, for example, by the International Electrotechnical Commission for Most Credible Accident (MCA) Tests. According to one safety specification, IEC 1010-2, an instrument undergoing an MCA test must stay within a 300 millimeter envelope and the instrument door must stay closed.
A bracket in accord with the prior art is shown in FIG. 3. A generally triangular plate 12 has an apex 14 with an aperture 16 through which a bolt 18 passes for connection with a table top, sometimes also passing through a grommet 20, a centering sleeve 22 and a washer 24. At the base of the triangular plate 12 a pair of bolts, such as bolt 26 passes through opposite apertures 28 and 30 to fasten plate 12 to an instrument such as a centrifuge. In the event of an accident, the plate merely transfers energy from the instrument directly to the table top with a slight amount of cushioning or shock absorption by means of grommet 20.
An object of the present invention was to satisfy the above-identified safety standard, while providing a mounting bracket which is simple and compact.